Interviews 1987-1988 – With the Pogues

1987 and 1988 saw Kirsty loosely connected with the mighty Pogues, appearing on their tours and generally having a great time. The interview material from this age is a bit silly, but here goes!

A Christmas Fairytale with Shane and Kirsty

Shane: (Opening a rather feisty bottle of Spanish bubbly and offering the Castellas) Might as well get into the swing early. Christmas? Well, I used to enjoy it. It’s not much of a thing to me anymore. It’s actually my birthday on December 25. Honest.

Kirsty: That must be a tremendous drag?

Shane: Everybody says that. I start celebrating very early. In aboutJuly. I always manage to get very drunk because of the happy coincidence. Sadly, I get less presents now I’m older. Closer people give you bigger things to make up for everyone else being so stingey.

Kirsty: Christmas appeal wears off when you’re not a kid. But having two children of my own now I’ve rediscovered the pleasure of seeing their happy smiling faces as they throw up at 5am on Christmas Day. I have to cook for 22 people so it’s not exactly a relaxing occasion.

Shane: Should do what I do. Don’t cook for anybody. Our Christmas is the basic family for as long as you can stand each other followed by a survival period, with friends, getting totally legless. My family goes to church on Christmas Eve. Midnight Mass is good. Once a year. I don’t try and get out of it. Going to church I mean. Christmas is obviously a time for overdoing everything at once and regularly. Doesn’t everybody? I don’t want to bump into anyone sober, that’s for sure. The best hangover cure I can think of is giving away all your money to the poor. Then they can get drunk and you can’t.

Shane: Boxing Day is traditionally the day for that. Boxing Day used to be when the tradesmen came round and you gave them a box. Hence the name. After three days of drinkin’ with a bit of sleep thrown in I start again. I’ve got two failsafe hangover cures.

Kirsty: Hair of the dog cures, I’ll be bound.

Shane: Naturally. The first one is a port and brandy. A nice warming drink which settles the stomach and lines it for the day ahead. The other one is a lunchtime cure – a pink gin. Those two cure anything, especially if you chase one with the other.

Kirsty: Champagne makes me feel better. As long as you can drink champagne you know you’re not actually dead.

Family Fortunes

Shane: I’ve always been pleasant to people and put up with their little foibles. As you know. I’m out of me tree by the time they arrive so l don’t know what’s going on anyway. I find that’s the only way to handle your relatives.

Kirsty: If you can’t put up with your family for two days in every year then you’re a bit of a bastard. We have Steve’s (Lillywhite- Kirsty’s record producing hubby) relatives around and play games. Everyone tries to top each other’s tricks. I don’t mind getting roped in. Family games can be amusing in small doses. It’s a communal experience.

Shane: We don’t do that round at mine. Myfamilyis more into playing cards, Totopoly (the racing version of Monopoly) and Subbuteo football competitions. With a few side bets thrown in. Cards is always a favourite. Whist, Rummy, Poker, just friendly games. We don’t go in for rushing and screeching about. We don’t play Postman’s Knock.

Kirsty: That’s where having small children around is fun. They love all the really noisy party games which invariably end up with them throwing up.

Shane: Now that I can relate to. I’ve got a lot of cousins and what are they called … grandcousins? No, nephews and nieces. I can handle them for about two minutes. After that I can’t communicate on a wider level. I’m not the life and soul of the party anywhere at any time.

Kirsty: But you also see older relatives in quite different light when they’ve got a few inside them. People you haven’ seen in ages suddenly throw their arm around you and say “I’ve always shliked you, hic No, rilly.’ There’s a new exposé every year.

Christmas stockings

Shane: I’ve never worn ’em. Hyeurgh.

Kirsty: My two get small stuff put in a sock They’re not old enough yet for pillowcases. They’d only wake up in the middle of the night and open them.

Shane: Do they believe in Father Christmas?

Kirsty: Yes, but small ones always get eight times more than grown ups so they think everybody they meet is a potential Father Christmas. The milkman comes to the door and they say ‘where’s my present’? And this is in February.

Food Glorious Food

Kirsty: Turkey with all the trimmings for us I’m afraid.

Shane: Naah. The family eats that stuff but I’m a vegetarian. I eat fish but that’s not available at Christmas. I stick to the stuffin’ and the veggies. I don’t see the point of eating all that meat. It makes me feel bad. Don’t like the idea of dead things floating about in my stomach. I’ve got loads of live things down there instead.

Kirsty: (Gagging) I make sure all my food is dead before I eat it.

Pantomimes

Kirsty: I went to see Wendy Craig in Peter Pan when I was about eight. This year the kids’ grandmother is taking them to see a production of that, starring LuIu and George Cole.

Shane: (Cracking open the second bottle of Spanish fizz) George Cole, eh? Can I come? I went to a few pantos as a kid and enjoyed them. Robin Hood, Aladdin, Puss In Boots. These days that doesn’t seem to be so popular does it? Kids find TV at Christmas more important. It’s always the same rubbish though.

Christmas Motto

Kirsty: With kids, always remember they don’t care about the presents because they’ll be broken in ten minutes. It’s the boxes and the party paper that they like demolishing most of all.

Shane: Definitely! It doesn’t matter what the gift is at all but the wrapping’s gotta be good. Nice wrapping paper and a few bottles of what you fancy and you’re away.

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